Suction-box.



C. E. MISER.

SUCTION BOX. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6. 1915.

1,21 1,739. Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

- 0050009000 ooououooe ooauoo -u caoooou no an acne no IIIIIIIIIIIIII afi TToRA/E y CHARLES EDWARD MISER, OI WATERTOWN, NEW YORK.

SUCTION-BOX.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

Application filed April 6, 1915. Serial No. 19,477.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. MISER, a citizen of the United States,and resident of VVatertown, in the county of Jefferson in the ,State ofNew York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Suction- Boxes,of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in suction boxes forpaper machines, and is adapted to be used in connection with a travelingforaminous pulp conveyer for extracting moisture from the pulp while intransit across the mouth of the suction box. This foraminous carrier forthe wet pulp is usually made of screen wire of relatively fine mesh, andin passing over the suction box is drawn with greater or less pressure,according to the degree of suction against the contiguous face of suchbox, so that unless suitable means is provided for reducing friction,the screen carrier or conveyer soon becomes mutilated by wear to such anextent as to render it unfit for further use.

One of the main objects of my present invention is to obviate thisexcessive wear by providing the suction box with an endless foraminousapron, traveling in the same direction and at the same rate of speed asthat of the carrier and in contact therewith throughout the entire areaof the adjacent side of the suction box.

Another object is to make the foraminous apron of the suction box ofresilient substance, such as rubber canvas belting or equivalentyielding material, so as to establish greater uniformity of pressurethroughout the contacting area between the carrier and apron, and at thesame time affording a cushioned support for the carrier to reduc theliability of relative slipping of the contoacting. parts, one upon theother, and there- A further object is to inclose the entire apron(except the portion thereof which is in direct contact with the carrier)within a substantially air-tight housing, constituting the suction boxproper, from'which the air and water may be drawn by any suitablesuction device.

A still further objectis to provide simple means whereby the apron. maybe kept under the desired tension at all times while the machine is inoperation or at rest, without removing any of the parts.

reducing the liability of excessive wear.

Other objects anduses relating to specific parts of the apparatus willbe brought out in the following description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an end view, partly in section, of myimproved suction box and a portion of the foraminous pulp carrier,together with two of its supporting rollers at opposite sides of thebox. Fig.2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View, partly brokenaway, of the same suction box, taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4are sectional views taken respectlvely in the planes of line 33, Fig. 1,and M, Fig. 2.

This suction box is adapted to be used in connection with thehorizontally traveling portion of a foraminous pulp carrier 1, andcomprises a stationary suction box 2 preferably of substantiallytriangular cross section and containing therein an endless foraminousbelt or apron -3 of rubber canvas belting or equivalent resilientmaterial, carried by a series of, in this instance three, rollers 4 and5 located at the angles of the triangular box 2 and prefe'rablyjournaled in suitable bearings -6 and -7- in or upon the end walls ofthe box 2.

This suction box is of greater length than the transverse width of thecarrier -1, as will be clearly apparent upon reference to Fig. 2, andextends transversely thereof, preferably at right angles thereto and ina plane below the same, with its apex at the bottom and its upper sideopen and disposed in a substantially horizontal position parallel withand in close juxtaposition to the underside of the pulp carrier -1-,said box being provided in its lower side or apex, near one end, with anoutlet pipe 8 adapted to be connected to any suitable vacuum pump orequivalent suction device not necessary to herein illustrate ordescribe.

The sides and bottom of the box -2-' are preferably integral and areprovided at their ends with outwardly projecting flanges to which arebolted the opposite ends as 9, to form air-tight joints therewith, saidends being co-extensive with the transverse area of the box and extendupwardly slightly above the horizontal upper portion of the apron e,with their upper inner edges in close juxtaposition to the correspondingedges of the apron and foraminous belt to form reasonably tight jointstherewith, these joints being more effectively closed when the machineis action, by

The apron ,-3 is of substantially the same width as the carrier l and issupported upon the peripheries of the rollers -4 and -5 so that itssides travel in close proximity to the inner faces of the correspondingsides of the stationary box 2, while its upper side is supported inclose proximity to the underside of the carrier 1- and is caused totravel in the same direction and at the same speed as that of thecarrier, the rollers 5 being spaced some distance apart so as tocorrespondingly broaden the area of contact between the up per portionof the apron 3 and carrier This upper side of the apron -3- constitutesthe corresponding side of the box, the upper edges of the opposite sldesof the latter being disposed in close proximity to the underside of thecarrier, and are provided with flexible packing strips -11 deflectedinwardly close to the adjacent portions of the apron -3- from end to endthereof to effectively close the open joint between the upper edges ofthe opposite sides of the stationary box -2 and apron so as to increasethe degree of suction in the box. This apron is perforated throughoutits area with relatively small holes arranged as close together aspossible Without weakening the fabric, so as to allow the water to bewithdrawn from the pulp through the upper portion thereof whiletraveling acrpss the mouth of the suction box, during which action theadjacent portion of the highly flexible screen wire carrier 1 is drawntightly against the upper side of the apron which, on account of itsresiliency, permits a closer contact of the adjacent portion of thecarrier throughout its contacting area than would be possible if theapron were made of metal, this close contact also serving to preventrelative slipping of the contacting'parts, one upon the other, andthereby reducing the wear of both parts to a mini mum.v

The carrier 1 is supported at inter vals by suitable rollers 12, two ofwhich are preferably located in close proximity to the front and rearsides of the suction box, leaving the intervening portion free to yieldfor contact with the adjacent portion of the traveling apron.

The bearings 6 and roller icarried thereby are adjustable radially ortoward and from the rollers 5, and for this purpose the openings, as-13-, in the end walls 9- through which the ends of the roller -4-project. are elongated vertically, while the hearings --6- are alsoprovided sirniiarly elongated bolt openings lifor receiving clampingbolts 15 by which these bearings are secured to the adjacent outer facesof the ends 9. The means for adjusting the bearings 6- and holding themin their adjusted position consists of screws -16 engaging in threadedapertures in the upper offset portions of the ends 9, as shown moreclearly in Fig. 2, the lower ends of said screws being engaged with theupper edges of the bearings 6 and areprovided with angular heads 17-adaptedto be engaged by a wrench or other turning device for adjustingthem, the object of such adjustment being to keep the apron reason ablytight. For a similar purpose the bearlngs -7 and'rollers 5 carriedthereby are also adjustable vertically by means of hand screws +18 whichare engaged in internally threaded glands 19 in the upper offsetportions of the end heads 9, as'shown more clearly in Fig. 3, inwhichthe bearings 7 are provided with down wardly projecting bosses 20 guidedin vertical sockets 21 and engaged by the upper ends of the screws 18.This latter adjustment of the bearings 7 and rollers -5 also serves to.bring the upper side of the apron 3 into proper relation to theunderside of the carrier so as to contact therewith throughout its area.

The supporting shaft for one of the rollers, as 4, extends through astufling box or gland 22' in one of the bearings 6 and is provided witha gear -23 adapted to connected to any suitable driving mechanism,preferably some rotary part of the machine, for rotating the roller 4 insuch manner as to cause the upper side of the apron 3 to travel in thesame direction and 'at the same rate of speed as the pulp carrier 1,whereby, as both belts are operated in unison, the water carried alongwith the pulp by the carrier --1 will be extracted by suction as itpasses over the upper side of the bOX2-, the water passmg into thesuction box being drawn through the drainage pipe 8 and de-- livered bythe pumping device to any 10- callty desired, the operation ofseparatingthe water from the pulp being continuous.

What I claim is:

1. In a suction device for pulp carriers, a non-metallic foraminoustraveling apron of resilient material, and a suction box inclosingsubstantially all but the portion thereof which contacts with the pulpcarrier.

2. In combination with a traveling foraminous pulp carrier, a stationarysuction box having an open side adjacent the underside of the carrier,and an endless traveling foraminous apron within said box and having aportion thereof movable across the open upper side thereof in contactwith the underside of the carrier.

3. In cots", nation with a traveling forumlnous pulp carrier, astationary suction box havlng an open sideadjacent the underside of thecarrier, and anendless traveling foram1nous apron within said box andhavmg a portion thereof movable across the open upper side thereof incontact with the underside of the carrier, and supporting rollers forsaid apron adjustable to tension the same.

4. In combination with a traveling forammous pulp carrier, a stationarysuction box having an open side adjacent the underside of the carrier,and an endless traveling foramlnous apron within said box and having aportion thereof movable across the open upper side thereof in contactwith the underside of the'carrier, and means for adjusting the upperportion of the apron relatively to the carrier.

5. In combination with a traveling forammous pulp carrier, a stationarysuction box having one side adjacent the carrier open but otherwisesubstantially air-tight, and an endless traveling foraminous aproncovering the open side of the box'in contact with the carrier andotherwise wholly within said box.

6. In combination with a traveling foraminous pulp carrier; a suctiondevice comrising a suction box having one side adacent the pulp carrieropen, a ."foraminous apron within the box and movable across its openside, supporting rollers for the apron, and means on the exterior of thebox for adjusting the rollers.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set 1 my hand this 1st day of April,1915.

CHARLES EDWARD MISER.

Witnesses:

LOUIS DE L. .BERG, MARY H. Mrsmz.

